A female solicitor was left horrified after she was asked to remove her bra when visiting a client at a prison in Dublin.
The shocking incident happened in the capital's Cloverhill Prison in June 2020.
The solicitor was instructed to take off her shoes, earrings, watch, and jacket after an alarm sounded as she passed through the security scanner.
But the alarm went off again when she passed through it the second time when one man allegedly asked her if she was wearing any underwear, the Irish Examiner reports.
He then went on to say that it could be the reason why the alarm went off.
She said she was told she wouldn't be allowed to enter the prison if the scanner continued to sound and that she would have to take off her underwear if she wanted to go in.
The solicitor said she felt like she had no option but to comply since the visit was urgent and regarding bail proceedings.
She went on to say that she was "absolutely horrified" by what was happening.
She added: "Not only did I feel extremely vulnerable and targeted as a woman I felt humiliated that my dignity had been so casually torn from me."
She said she felt close to tears because of "how powerless they made me feel" and had to cover herself with a jacket for the rest of the visit.
She later found out that a male colleague, who had previously gone to visit the same client, was allowed in despite the alarm sounding three times.
The solicitor made a written complaint to the Irish Prison Service following the traumatic incident.
A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said: "In relation to your query below, the Irish Prison Service does not comment on internal matters, however, the Prison Service can confirm a complaint was received and investigated."
